6o6 
Current  Literature. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
*■    December,  191 7. 
Viburnum  opulus  a  green  color  develops,  due  in  both  instances  to  the 
tannins  present  in  the  barks.  If  woody  tissue  is  present  on  the  inner 
surface  of  the  bark,  it  should  be  removed  before  making  the  test. 
The  bureau  will  consider  as  adulteration  the  substitution  in  whole 
or  in  part  of  any  Acer  species  for  Viburnum  opulus  in  barks  or  their 
preparations. 
The  bureau  also  considers  that  the  term  "  cramp  bark  "  applies 
only  to  Viburnum  opulus,  now  official  in  the  National  Formulary, 
and  consequently  should  not  be  used  for  barks  from  other  sources  or 
their  preparations.  {Service  and  Regulatory  Announcements,  U.  S. 
Dept.  of  Agriculture.) 
Desulphuring  Petroleum. — In  the  course  of  an  interesting 
paper  on  "  Sulphur  in  Petroleum  Oils,"  read  recently  before  the 
Institute  of  Petroleum  Technologists,  London,  Dr.  F.  Mollwo 
Perkin  said  that  Messrs.  Lucas,  Palmer,  and  himself  had  devised  a 
desulphurizing  process  which  was  as  yet  in  its  initial  stages.  It 
consisted  in  the  treatment  of  the  oil  at  high  temperatures  with 
gaseous  ammonia.  The  oil  may  be  either  in  the  liquid  or  gaseous 
state.  If  the  oil  is  liquid,  the  pressure  must  be  kept  sufficiently 
high  to  prevent  the  oil  gasifying  at  the  temperature  to  which  it  is 
subjected.  On  the  other  hand,  the  temperature  should  be  suffi- 
ciently high  to  cause  the  ammonia  to  dissociate.  When  the  oil  is 
treated  in  the  form  of  vapor,  it  is  passed  through  a  heating  sys- 
tem together  with  the  ammonia  before  being  condensed.  It  has 
been  found  that  sulphureted  hydrogen  is  given  off  from  oils  con- 
taining sulphur  when  treated  in  this  way. — (Through  Journal  of 
Industrial  and  Engineering  Chemistry.) 
Grease  Recovery  from  Sewage. — Gratifying  results  says 
Chemical  Trade  Journal,  60  (1917),  382,  have  attended  the  activi- 
ties of  the  Corporation  of  Bradford,  England,  in  the  work  of  the 
recovery  of  grease  from  the  city's  sewage.  Mr.  F.  Ogden  Whiteley 
points  out  in  his  report  that  last  year  it  was  estimated  to  raise 
$300,000  from  grease  but  the  receipts  have  actually  amounted  to 
$400,000,  and  it  is  estimated  that  $350,000  will  be  provided  from 
this  source  in  the  coming  year  in  addition  to  $25,000  from  the 
sale  of  manure  made  from  the  precipitated  sludge  after  the  grease 
has  been  extracted.  A  substantial  saving  has  also  been  made  as 
regards  the  chemicals  used  in  the  process  of  precipitation.  In 
